The present invention relates to a housing for an electrical device, such as for example for an electronic control-or regulating device in a motor vehicle.
An electrical switching-or control device for a motor vehicle is disclosed for example in the German patent document DE-OS 43 43 355. In this device the waste heat is withdrawn from the power components to a cooling body through a support web. The power components are arranged for example on a conductive plate for an electronic circuit in a housing, which as a rule is a metallic housing.
The conventional housing concepts are usually realized with cast cooling bodies or with a housing construction provided with heat conductive pins. Their cost-favorable manufacture, for example in fully automatic manufacturing devices, is thereby problematic since the cooling bodies must frequently be adapted to various housing concepts when needed.
Accordingly, it is an object of present invention to provide a housing for an electrical device, which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
In accordance with the present invention a housing for an electrical device, in which several housing parts are assembled and a cooling body is used conventionally for a heat withdrawal from electronic components, and wherein in accordance with the present invention the first housing part which carries the electronic components is provided on a mounting surface with a crease. A second heat conductive housing part is joined on the mounting surface in correspondence with it and designed so that, a housing portion which corresponds to the crease engages it in a sealing and heat conductive manner.
The second housing part is a base plate, preferably of aluminum. A heat withdrawal for the power components can be performed to the second housing part.
The inventive housing in accordance with an especially advantageous embodiment can be formed as a mounting housing for a control-or regulating device, which is arranged as a mechanical aggregate, for example a metallic pump housing, in a motor vehicle.
In accordance with the invention, it is advantageous when the second housing part is also provided with a crease, whose bulge engages on the lower side into a crease of the first housing part, and whose groove on the upper part engages a third housing part with a correspondingly designed bulge. The third housing part can be for example a metallic cover. It is also possible to replace the second housing part completely by a cover, which provides an especially cost-favorable solution.
An especially efficient heat withdrawal and sealing action is obtained when the crease is arranged in a first and in a second housing part, circumferentially in the edge region of the housing part. In this case, in a simple manner in the region of the crease, the mounting point of the housing part on the aggregate can be arranged. It improves the possibilities for the heat withdrawal, for example to the aggregate. The mounting points are here more advantageous than four screws distributed over the periphery and guided in corresponding bushings through the housing parts to the aggregate.
The lower side of the crease of the second housing part on the connecting point between the first and the second housing part can be formed in a simple manner as an adhesive key, while the crease on the connecting point between the second and the third housing part can be formed as an adhesive slot. Thereby the manufacture and assembly are simplified.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.